Compound three-part rail for railways.



PATBNTED MAY 3, 1904.

w. J. HOLMAN. GOMPOUND THREE PART RAIL PoR RAILWAYS.

APPLIOATIGN FILEDVMAY 22, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0' MODEL.

1w Nnnms pzrcns co. PHoToLlmn., wAsmncJoN. l: r.,

No. 758,651. PATENTED MAY 3, 1904. W. J. HOLMAN. UAOMPOUND THREE PART RAIL POR RAILWAYS.- APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 190s 1 v UNITED STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

vWILLIAM J. HOLMAN, OF MINNEAFOLIS, MINNESOTA.

QOIVIPOUND THREE-PART FIAIL FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,651, dated May 3, 1904.

I Application filed May 22, 1903. Serial No. 158,227. (o model.)

`T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM J. HOLMAN, of g Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, State of l Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compound Three-Para Rails for Railways, of which the following is Aa specilication.

My invention relates to three-part rails, and is designed as an improvement over the rail shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States issued to me December 9, 187 9,

The object of my invention is to provide a three-part rail requiring only two forms in the finishing-rolls to turn out complete the three parts constituting the rail.

A further object is also to provide a threepart rail which will more perfectly exclude moisture from and provide better drainage for the inner cavity of the rail.

A further object is to provide a rail capa-f ble of effectually resisting heavy lateral strains incident to high speed in moving trains overl curves or in passing rapidly over sections of track where there is more or'less variation in the level of the opposite points Aof the two track-rails. all without increasing materially thecost'of the rails.

A further object is to provide a rail which will never admit of any variation in the` exact alinement of abutting sections at the joints of parts directly in contact with passing wheel treads and flanges that would be calculated to endanger rolling-stock.

A furtherobject is to provide means for enabling the trackmen to fix and securely maintain the exact gage of the rails throughout the roadway in the process of laying track without the use ofthe ordinary gage-bar or other similar devices.

A further object is to provide an enlarged chamber within the rails wherein insulated wires may be laid for transmission of messages or electric-light currents and be'more convenient of access and removed from all Y Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan View of a section of railroad-track embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section' on the line of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line m m of Fig. 6. Fig. 5`is a similar view on the line w w of Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line y y of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a similar view on the line e e of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a detail YView of the stop-pin.

. In the accompanying drawings similar iigures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

2 designates cross-ties on which the rails are laid. 24 represent gage and tie plates resting upon and spiked to the upper surfaces of some of the cross-ties. f

7 designates the side walls of therail having base-flanges 8 and 9.

19 is the key-bar of the rail, and 20 is a shank connecting the key-bar with its flanged pendant 21.

25 designates joints in the side-wall sections at abutting ends, and 26 representsjoints between key-bar sections.

14C is a screw-bolt, headed, and 28 represents the screw-bolt` nuts.

15 designates beveled washers used where the side walls are beveled.

27 designates perforations in the metallic gage and tie plates to permit spiking to the cross-ties. v

10 is arecess in theside rail-flanges to provide for expansion and contraction and to prevent crawling of the rail on the ties.

`12 is the rail-cavity, and 23 represents the stop-pins. v

27 designates the holes for the color-pole socket.

The side walls 7 are of any desired thickness and are made to rise from their hori- Zontal bases, 7of any desired width, formed of outwardlyextending and inwardly-abutting flanges` to any given height perpendicularly or at any inwardly-inclining angles desired, limited at their tops by a horizontal transverse line intersccted and cut by the springing lines of the shank 2O of the equiformed central pendant Q1 of the key-bar 19.

To secure the required bearing-in support of the key-bar and the loads passing over it and to construct while accomplishing this object a perfect lock for the key-bar, I broaden the top of the side walls by the formation of pairs of inwardly-extending flanges 13 and 17, the upper surfaces of which are but extensions of the line defining the height of the side walls 7; but it will be observed that in this construction the upper pairs of the corrugated llanges are shorter than the pair beneath them. This would be made more noticeable by placing two sections of the side walls opposite each other resting on their bases and facing inwardly and bringing them together. Here it will be seen that while the inner edges of the lower flanges of the opposite side walls abut each other and are in close contact throughout their length the space between the most extended inner portions 18 of the upper pair of lianges 17 is quite suflcient for the passage of any shank 20 required to safely connect the key-bar 19 with its equiformed flanged pendant 21 or, if not, should be made so.

The under plane surfaces of the key-bar on either side of its pendant are made in conformity with and so as to be placed upon the horizontal plane upper surfaces of the side walls when in position in the track ready for spiking to the cross-ties. While in this position the contour of the key-bar pendant will be coinciding at all points with the interior boundary-lines of the lianges of the side walls, this combination of lock and key at the upper extremeties of the side walls suggesting the name lock and key rail, while a new feature will add nothing to the cost of rail manufacture, but will greatly increase the weight-supporting and lurch-resisting capacity of the rails of any given compound or quantity. The key-bar may be of any desired depth above the top of the side walls and any suitable width, its length in sections corresponding approximately to the length of the side-wall parts of the rail as a means of expediting and cheapening track-laying.

The key-bar 19 being the only part of the rail abraded by the passing wheels and their flanges, it is the only part exposed to wear, while the side walls 7, under the oil waste from journal-boxing, will endure indefinitely. IVhatever the general uniform length of the different parts of the rail, the space between any two contiguous joints should be one-third of its length. The side walls of the rail on one side are arranged to lap or break joints with the corresponding joints on the other side of the rail and also with the joints of the capbars. In the same rail no two joints are allowed at the same point, and much less three, except at switches or the end of the track. This provision is for elfectually obviating low joints.

As an auxiliary to the lock and key in stilfening and giving rigidity to the rail I use a screw-bolt 14 at the abutting ends of each key-bar 19 throughout the roadway, which bolt is made to pass through the two side walls just below the fillets of the inwardlyinclining lianges 13 forming the roof of the rail-cavity 12, where the side walls are continuous. Bolted here the abutting ends of the key-bars must ever be in perfect alinement.

In my construction I have punched out of the side of the outwardly-extending baseiianges 8 at or near either end of each separate section of the side walls a rectangular chip 10,forming a recess of suitable width and depth to allow rail-spikes to be so driven as to give freedom in the contraction and expansion of the parts, but prevent rail-crawling through the action of moving trains over the roadway.

I have one or both side walls perforated for the stop-pins 23 at a point or points opposite the joints in the key-bars 19, from which joints the holes extend outwardly and downwardly through the wall where they would be cut centrally by a line defining the center of the groove filled by the extended lianges of the key-bar pendant when in posi- The stop-pins 23 have square heads larger than their round stems, are put through these holes from the inside before the three parts of the rail are permanently placed together and spiked to the cross-ties, the points of the stop -pins being flush with the outside of the side walls. This arrangement of the pins will prevent any disturbance or removal 'of them by anybody, except by tearing up the track.

The extreme corners and ends of the extended flanges of the key-bar pendant are so shaped (see Figs. 6 and 7) as to nicely lit the heads of the stop-pins when in position and when the key-bar sections are fully expanded, with their ends in contact. In contracting these fitting surfaces would be drawn away from the stop-pins probably one-eighth of an inch on each side of the stop-pins at each end of the bar in the lowest temperature, (if sections of rails were thirty feet long,) as reliable tests have shown.

The metal gage and tie plates I use for establishing and maintaining the exact gage of the track-rails may be of any metal, of any width, thickness, or length best suited to accomplish the object in view. While not necx essarily as long as the cross-ties, they should IOO IIO

be long enough to spike to them between the rails and Vto extend with them under and beyond the rails and their outermostv anges (when in position and in gage in the track) sufficiently to give the required metal backing behind or beyond the spikes driven through them and into the ties beneath to define and maintain the extreme width beyond vwhich the rails cannot spread.

Knowing that the spike on the opposite side of the rail from a side-wall joint will have no recess in the flange opposite the joint and knowing the gage of the road, the width of the crown of the key-bar, the base of the rail between the extreme ,ange projections, the exact dimensions of the body of the rail-spike, its width and thickness, and having determined the depth of the chip or recess in the flange, the amount of metal between the recess and the end of the side-wall sections, this determining the amount of extreme difference between the expansion and contraction of the `bar, the proper width of the recess for the spikes can be readily calculated. When so calculated and wrought, by assuming the proper ppsition for the spike-holes through the gage-plate to be in the extreme corners of the recesses inthe flanges of the abutting walls farthest removed from the joint between them the holes can be so punched through the gage and tie plates that when the rails are placed with their bases on the ties and tieplates between the two perforations for railspikes onthe outside of the rail at one end of the said plates and one on the inside and the two perforations on the inside and one on the outside at the other end of said plates and the hook-headed (common) rail-spikes are driven through said perforations and into the ties beneath the plates with the hooks facing the rail two lines of rails are provided which will be absolutely parallel and of perfect gage.

ltwill be observed from the foregoing that the gage and tie plates are'so perforated that by alternately reversing their ends they will meet perfectly al1 requirements wherever used under abutting side walls. If the plates are used under joints of key-bars, which would equally space the gage-plates throughout the roadway, the perforations should be the same at both ends of the plates-'that is, with asingle spike on either side of the rail, there being no recess in the flanges of the side walls at such points. This feature of the rail is irnf portant as not tending to create too many centers for contraction and expansion of the different parts composing the rail.

Having described the manner of construct-- ing the di'erent parts of my lock and key rail and the appurtenances and fixtures thereto pertaining,- I will now proceed to give such a description of the manner of assembling the parts to form a track that will enable anyone usually to every fifth or sixth tie.

skilled in the art of track-laying to build with economy and expedition a railway employing the compound three-part lockand key rail.

A perfect `rail can never make a perfect Aroadway unless the other conditions entering into its make-up are also perfect. Still any conditions making a track passable with the common solid T-rail could be made to answer quite as well or indeed much better where my lock and key rail is used. I shall therefore assume that the vordinary road-bed and regulation cross-ties or sleepers are used, The ties may be distributed in the ordinary way over the graded surface and spaced according to their dimensions and required service. When tie and gage plates are thought to be necessary under the joints of the keybars, the ties should be so spaced as to have one occurring at every one-third of the sectional length of the parts of the rail. If these parts were thirty feet long, every ten feet a joint would occur in some one of the parts. Having properlyT distributed the cross-ties, the metal gage andtie plates should be nailed or spiked to every tie coming under joints in any of the constituent parts of--the body of the rail, This would be done, preferably, by driving flat-headed nails or spikes through the two perforations nearest the center of the plates between the rails, the center hole 27 in the plates being made and preserved for the point of the colorpole socket used (in connection with the transit) in lining up the track. The value of lthis device in defining` maintaining, and reestablishing the center line of the railway will be worth many times its cost as a labor-saving appliance to the civil engineer in charge.

If it is desired tostart the track with evenended bars, cut two of the side-wall sections of equal length smoothly and at right angles into two parts, the shorter of which in both cases being just ene-half the length of the longer parts. Before cutting place the two bars side by side facing in the same direction and cut from the same ends, so that the parts side by side will be of the same length.` Start the track by placing the two longest pieces with their cut ends on the starting-tie, one constituting the first section of the outside wall of one of the rails, while the other will' the key-bar sections, commencing with fulllength bars, the under surface of which on one side of each being so placed on the tops of the side walls that the starting ends and side surfaces of the dierent sections will be flush with each other, respectively, while the flanges of the key-bar pendant on the contacting surfaces above them will conform nicely to the outlines of the flanges of the side walls sustaining them. Having placed one of the key-bar sections in proper position on each of the two side walls, the proper location of the holes in the side walls for the bolts and stoppins at the forward end of each key-bar can be readily determined and easily marked. As each succeeding key-bar is placed in position and properly spaced these points will be similarly located and marked throughout the roadway, so that the drillers following will have no trouble in making the holes. Having now one side wall and key-bar in position for each of the two rails, start the remaining side wall with the two shorter pieces of the bars first cut. Place these one beside each rail started, with their bases resting on the cross-ties and their cut ends on the starting-tie and near the end of the rails. As this line of work proceeds complete the drilling for bolts and stop-pins by placing them opposite those in the contiguous walls. Then insert the stop-pins with heads inside, draw and bolt the side walls together, spike them to the ties, and the work is done.

I claim as my invention- 1. A compound rail, comprising side walls having base-flanges, inwardly-turned flanges 13 provided on said walls and having abutting edges, Hanges 17 also provided on said walls and spaced from each other, therel being recesses in said walls between said flanges 13 and 17, a cap-bar arranged to rest upon said flanges 17 and having a neck to pass between the same and a head to enter the grooves between said flanges 13 and 17, and bolts passing through said side bars for locking them and said cap-bar together.

2. A compound rail, comprising side walls having base-flanges, bolts passing through said walls and securing them together, inwardly-turned flanges provided on said walls near the top of the same, a cap-bar having a flanged pendant on its under side adapted to pass between said inwardly-turned flanges, said walls having downwardly-inclined holes at the ends of said cap-bars, and pins fitting within said holes and arranged to engage the ends of said bars.

3. A compound rail, comprising inwardlyinclined side walls having base-flanges, bolts passing through said walls and securing them together, flanges provided on said walls and forming a longitudinal socket at the top of the same, and a cap-bar havingaflanged pendant on its under side arranged to enter said socket and be locked therein when said bolts are tightened.

1. A compound rail, comprising side bars having the base-flanges 8 and 9, the edges of the latter abutting each other and their upper surfaces being inclined, webs arranged on said base-flanges. flanges 13 provided near the top of said webs and having abutting edges between which and said base-flanges 9 an inclosed chamber is formed, bolts passing through said webs and securing them together, and a cap-bar arranged upon said webs.

5. A compound rail, comprising side walls having outwardly and inwardly projecting base-flanges, the former provided with notches in their edges to receive the spikes, inwardlyturned flanges 13 near the top of said walls, bolts for locking said walls together, flanges 17 provided on said walls and having their edges spaced from one another, said walls being provided with longitudinal recesses between said flanges 13 and 17 and with downwardly-inclined holes leading from said recesses, pins arranged in said holes, and a capbar having a depending flanged pendant adapted to enter said recesses and engage said pins.

6. A compound rail, comprising side walls having laterally-extending base-flanges, the inner base-flanges of said walls having abutting edges, inwardly extending flanges arranged in pairs one above another at the top of said walls, the lower pair of flanges forming the roof of the chamber or cavity between said walls and having abutting edges, and the edges of the upper pair of flanges being spaced from one another, a cap-bar having a flanged pendant depending from its under side and adapted to fit within recesses provided in said side walls between said pairs of flanges, and bolts passing through said side walls and binding them and` said cap-bar together.

7. A compound rail, comprising inwardlyinclined side walls having inwardly and outwardly extending base-flanges, inwardly-extending flanges provided on the upper part of said walls, a chamber being formed between said walls and inclosed thereby and by said flanges and wherein wires may be laid, a capbar supported on said walls, and bolts passing th rough said walls and securin g them together.

8. A compound rail, comprising inwardlyinclined side walls having base-flanges arranged in pairs'one above another, inwardlyextending flanges on said side walls near the top thereof, a cap-bar having a flanged pendant arranged to interlock with the flanges at the top of said side walls, and bolts connecting said side walls and binding them and said cap-bar together.

9. A compound rail, comprising side walls having base flanges, inwardly extending flanges arranged in pairs one above another on said side walls near the upper edges thereof, a cap-bar having a flanged pendant ar- IOO IIO

ranged to interlock with said inwardly-eX- tending anges, and means for binding said side walls and Cap-bar together.

l0. A compound rail, comprising side Walls having hase flanges, inwardly extending flanges onsaid Walls near the upper edges thereof, acap-bar havinga flanged pendant arranged to interlock with said inwardly-extending flanges, means for lockingsaid caploars against longitudinal movement, and IO means for binding said Walls and cap-bar together. l i

In Witness whereof I- have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of May, 1903.

WILLIAM J. HOLMAN. .In presence of- RICHARD PAUL, S. N.v GRIFFIN. 

